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Abstract:

A method for providing selection of a portion of text for touch screen
devices may include receiving an indication of a touch gesture in
association with a primary word among text being displayed at a touch
screen display, causing provision of a selected word indication to
indicate inclusion of the primary word as a selected word, causing
provision of a pre-selected word indication in relation to at least one
secondary word adjacent to the primary word, and enabling expansion of
the selected word indication to include the at least one secondary word
in response to a touch event selecting the at least one secondary word. A
corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

Claims:

1. A method comprising: receiving an indication of a touch gesture in
association with a primary word among text being displayed at a touch
screen display; causing provision of a selected word indication to
indicate inclusion of the primary word as a selected word; causing
provision of a pre-selected word indication in relation to at least one
secondary word adjacent to the primary word; and enabling expansion of
the selected word indication to include the at least one secondary word
in response to a touch event selecting the at least one secondary word.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing provision of the
pre-selected word indication with respect to a next adjacent word to a
selected secondary word that is included in the selected word indication.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling performance of a
selected function with respect to words included in the selected word
indication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein causing provision of the pre-selected
word indication comprises causing provision of the pre-selected word
indication with respect to a word immediately before the selected word
indication and a word immediately after the selected word indication.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an expanded view
of words in the selected word indication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch event responsive to which the
expansion of the selected word indication is provided comprises a tap on
a secondary word and wherein the touch gesture is a long press event.

8. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory
including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer
program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the
apparatus at least to: receive an indication of a touch gesture in
association with a primary word among text being displayed at a touch
screen display; cause provision of a selected word indication to indicate
inclusion of the primary word as a selected word; cause provision of a
pre-selected word indication in relation to at least one secondary word
adjacent to the primary word; and enable expansion of the selected word
indication to include the at least one secondary word in response to a
touch event selecting the at least one secondary word.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and computer
program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor,
cause the apparatus to cause provision of the pre-selected word
indication with respect to a next adjacent word to a selected secondary
word that is included in the selected word indication.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and
computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one
processor, cause the apparatus to enable performance of a selected
function with respect to words included in the selected word indication.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and
computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor,
cause the apparatus to cause provision of the pre-selected word
indication by causing provision of the pre-selected word indication with
respect to a word immediately before the selected word indication and a
word immediately after the selected word indication.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and
computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one
processor, cause the apparatus to provide an expanded view of words in
the selected word indication.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touch event responsive to which
the expansion of the selected word indication is provided comprises a tap
on a secondary word and wherein the touch gesture is a long press event.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and
computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor,
cause the apparatus to cause provision of the selected word indication by
highlighting selected words, and wherein causing provision of the
pre-selected word indication comprises differently highlighting secondary
words positioned adjacent to the selected words.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a mobile terminal
and further comprises user interface circuitry configured to facilitate
user control of at least some functions of the mobile terminal.

16. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable
storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions
stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions
including program code instructions to: receive an indication of a touch
gesture in association with a primary word among text being displayed at
a touch screen display; cause provision of a selected word indication to
indicate inclusion of the primary word as a selected word; cause
provision of a pre-selected word indication in relation to at least one
secondary word adjacent to the primary word; and enable expansion of the
selected word indication to include the at least one secondary word in
response to a touch event selecting the at least one secondary word.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising program
code instructions for causing provision of the pre-selected word
indication with respect to a next adjacent word to a selected secondary
word that is included in the selected word indication.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising program
code instructions for enabling performance of a selected function with
respect to words included in the selected word indication.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program code
instructions for causing provision of the pre-selected word indication
include instructions for causing provision of the pre-selected word
indication with respect to a word immediately before the selected word
indication and a word immediately after the selected word indication.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the touch event
responsive to which the expansion of the selected word indication is
provided comprises a tap on a secondary word and wherein the touch
gesture is a long press event.

Description:

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0001] Some example embodiments of the present invention relate generally
to user interface technology and, more particularly, relate to a method
and apparatus for providing selection of a portion of text.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous
expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Computer networks,
television networks, and telephony networks are experiencing an
unprecedented technological expansion, fueled by consumer demand.
Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed related
consumer demands, while providing more flexibility and immediacy of
information transfer.

[0003] Current and future networking technologies continue to facilitate
ease of information transfer and convenience to users. One area in which
there is a demand to increase ease of information transfer relates to the
delivery of services to a user of a mobile terminal. The services may be
in the form of a particular media or communication application desired by
the user, such as a music player, a game player, an electronic book,
short messages, email, content sharing, web browsing, etc. The services
may also be in the form of interactive applications in which the user may
respond to a network device in order to perform a task or achieve a goal.
The services may be provided from a network server or other network
device, or even from the mobile terminal such as, for example, a mobile
telephone, a mobile television, a mobile gaming system, electronic book
or reading device, etc.

[0004] In many situations, it may be desirable for the user to interface
with a device such as a mobile terminal for the provision of an
application or service. A user's experience during certain applications
such as, for example, web browsing or navigating through content may be
enhanced by using a touch screen display as the user interface.
Furthermore, some users may have a preference for use of a touch screen
display for entry of user interface commands over other alternatives. In
recognition of the utility and popularity of touch screen displays, many
devices, including some mobile terminals, now employ touch screen
displays. As such, touch screen devices are now relatively well known in
the art, with numerous different technologies being employed for sensing
a particular point at which an object may contact the touch screen
display.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0005] A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to
enable the use of a touch screen display for selecting a portion of text.
In particular, a method, apparatus and computer program product are
provided that may enable the user to utilize a long press (or press and
hold) event sensed at a touch screen display of a device for selecting
primary and secondary words where the secondary words selected are
adjacent to the primary word selected.

[0006] In an example embodiment, a method for providing selection of a
portion of text for touch screen devices is provided. The method may
include receiving an indication of a touch gesture in association with a
primary word among text being displayed at a touch screen display,
causing provision of a selected word indication to indicate inclusion of
the primary word as a selected word, causing provision of a pre-selected
word indication in relation to at least one secondary word adjacent to
the primary word, and enabling expansion of the selected word indication
to include the at least one secondary word in response to a touch event
selecting the at least one secondary word.

[0007] In another example embodiment, a computer program product for
providing selection of a portion of text for touch screen devices is
provided. The computer program product may include at least one
computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code
instructions stored therein. The computer-executable program code
instructions may include program code instructions for receiving an
indication of a touch gesture in association with a primary word among
text being displayed at a touch screen display, causing provision of a
selected word indication to indicate inclusion of the primary word as a
selected word, causing provision of a pre-selected word indication in
relation to at least one secondary word adjacent to the primary word, and
enabling expansion of the selected word indication to include the at
least one secondary word in response to a touch event selecting the at
least one secondary word.

[0008] In another example embodiment, an apparatus for providing selection
of a portion of text for touch screen devices is provided. The apparatus
may include at least one processor and at least one memory including
computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program
code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the
apparatus at least to perform receiving an indication of a touch gesture
in association with a primary word among text being displayed at a touch
screen display, causing provision of a selected word indication to
indicate inclusion of the primary word as a selected word, causing
provision of a pre-selected word indication in relation to at least one
secondary word adjacent to the primary word, and enabling expansion of
the selected word indication to include the at least one secondary word
in response to a touch event selecting the at least one secondary word.

[0009] In another example embodiment, an apparatus for providing selection
of a portion of text for touch screen devices is provided. The apparatus
may include means for receiving an indication of a touch gesture in
association with a primary word among text being displayed at a touch
screen display, means for causing provision of a selected word indication
to indicate inclusion of the primary word as a selected word, means for
causing provision of a pre-selected word indication in relation to at
least one secondary word adjacent to the primary word, and means for
enabling expansion of the selected word indication to include the at
least one secondary word in response to a touch event selecting the at
least one secondary word.

[0010] Some embodiments of the invention may provide a method, apparatus
and computer program product for improving user experience relating to
devices having touch screen interfaces. As a result, for example, mobile
terminal users may enjoy improved capabilities with respect to selecting
text or words within a document or page that is displayed. As such, in
some cases, other services or applications that may be used in connection
with the selected text may be accessed with less user interaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0011] Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general
terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are
not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal according
to an example embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for providing
selection of a portion of text for touch screen devices according to an
example embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a view of a display showing text selection
according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 4 illustrates a view of a display showing text selection
according to another example embodiment of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 5 illustrates a view of a display showing text selection
according to yet another example embodiment of the present invention; and

[0017]FIG. 6 is a block diagram according to an example method for
providing selection of a portion of text for touch screen devices
according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described
more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed,
various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different
forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure
will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer
to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms "data," "content,"
"information" and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to
data capable of being transmitted, received and/or stored in accordance
with some embodiments of the present invention. Thus, use of any such
terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of embodiments of
the present invention.

[0019] Additionally, as used herein, the term `circuitry` refers to (a)
hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog
circuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and
computer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmware
instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work
together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described
herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a
portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for
operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present.
This definition of `circuitry` applies to all uses of this term herein,
including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term
`circuitry` also includes an implementation comprising one or more
processors and/or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and/or
firmware. As another example, the term `circuitry` as used herein also
includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications
processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated
circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network device,
and/or other computing device.

[0020] As defined herein a "computer-readable storage medium," which
refers to a non-transitory, physical storage medium (e.g., volatile or
non-volatile memory device), can be differentiated from a
"computer-readable transmission medium," which refers to an
electromagnetic signal.

[0021] As indicated above, some embodiments of the present invention may
relate to the selection of text on a touch screen display. As discussed
above, user interfaces that include touch screen displays are becoming
increasingly popular. One reason for such popularity is the intuitive
nature of performing functions directly with the objects that are
displayed rather than using a keyboard, joystick or other user interface
device to indirectly interface with the objects. In addition to being
relatively intuitive, interactions with touch screen displays may often
eliminate or substantially reduce the requirements for users to know
ahead of time what can be accomplished via the usage of various selection
mechanisms, keys and/or key combinations. Moreover, using a touch screen
display may sometimes reduce the overall number of selections, key
presses, or other discrete interactions the user needs to make to
accomplish a task.

[0022] Using some example embodiments, a user may be enabled to interact
with a touch screen display that is displaying text in order to select a
word as a primary word using a single input event (e.g., a long press or
touch-and-hold) on the word and to designate one or more secondary words
using the same single input event. In some examples, the primary word may
be highlighted or otherwise indicated as the selected word and the
secondary words may be highlighted or indicated differently from that
which is used for the primary word. The secondary words may be the words
immediately adjacent to the primary word (e.g., the word before and the
word after the primary word). In some embodiments, the secondary words
may essentially be designated as being "preselected" insofar as the
secondary words may be highlighted and selectable with a tap or other
single press input event. Thus, some embodiments may enable highlighting
or otherwise selecting of multiple words, including the primary word and
the secondary words, with a single input event. Other functions, actions
and/or services may be performed with respect to the primary word and/or
selected secondary words after the selection of the primary and/or
secondary words according to available options associated with an
application being run or capable of being run. For example, a search may
be performed, spelling and/or grammar correction services may be
performed, a word or words may be copied, edit options may be presented,
hyperlinks may be added or activated, another application may be launched
with respect to a selected word or based on a selected word (e.g.,
initiating a call, email or message service) or options for launching
such an application may be provided, and numerous other functions may be
accomplished.

[0023]FIG. 1, one example embodiment of the invention, illustrates a
block diagram of a mobile terminal 10 that would benefit from embodiments
of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the
mobile terminal 10 as illustrated and hereinafter described is merely
illustrative of one type of device that may benefit from embodiments of
the present invention and, therefore, should not be taken to limit the
scope of embodiments of the present invention. As such, although numerous
types of mobile terminals, such as portable digital assistants (PDAs),
mobile telephones, pagers, mobile televisions, gaming devices, laptop
computers, cameras, video recorders, audio/video players, radios,
electronic books, positioning devices (e.g., global positioning system
(GPS) devices), or any combination of the aforementioned, and other types
of voice and text communications systems, may readily employ embodiments
of the present invention, other devices including fixed (non-mobile)
electronic devices may also employ some example embodiments.

[0024] The mobile terminal 10 may include an antenna 12 (or multiple
antennas) in operable communication with a transmitter 14 and a receiver
16. The mobile terminal 10 may further include an apparatus, such as a
controller 20 or other processing device (e.g., processor 70 of FIG. 2),
which controls the provision of signals to and the receipt of signals
from the transmitter 14 and receiver 16, respectively. The signals may
include signaling information in accordance with the air interface
standard of the applicable cellular system, and also user speech,
received data and/or user generated data. In this regard, the mobile
terminal 10 is capable of operating with one or more air interface
standards, communication protocols, modulation types, and access types.
By way of illustration, the mobile terminal 10 is capable of operating in
accordance with any of a number of first, second, third and/or
fourth-generation communication protocols or the like. For example, the
mobile terminal 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with
second-generation (2G) wireless communication protocols IS-136 (time
division multiple access (TDMA)), GSM (global system for mobile
communication), and IS-95 (code division multiple access (CDMA)), or with
third-generation (3G) wireless communication protocols, such as Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA2000, wideband CDMA (WCDMA)
and time division-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), with 3.9G wireless
communication protocol such as evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access
Network (E-UTRAN), with fourth-generation (4G) wireless communication
protocols or the like. As an alternative (or additionally), the mobile
terminal 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with non-cellular
communication mechanisms. For example, the mobile terminal 10 may be
capable of communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) or other
communication networks.

[0025] In some embodiments, the controller 20 may include circuitry
desirable for implementing audio and logic functions of the mobile
terminal 10. For example, the controller 20 may be comprised of a digital
signal processor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog to
digital converters, digital to analog converters, and other support
circuits. Control and signal processing functions of the mobile terminal
10 are allocated between these devices according to their respective
capabilities. The controller 20 thus may also include the functionality
to convolutionally encode and interleave message and data prior to
modulation and transmission. The controller 20 may additionally include
an internal voice coder, and may include an internal data modem. Further,
the controller 20 may include functionality to operate one or more
software programs, which may be stored in memory. For example, the
controller 20 may be capable of operating a connectivity program, such as
a conventional Web browser. The connectivity program may then allow the
mobile terminal 10 to transmit and receive Web content, such as
location-based content and/or other web page content, according to a
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
and/or the like, for example.

[0026] The mobile terminal 10 may also comprise a user interface including
an output device such as a conventional earphone or speaker 24, a ringer
22, a microphone 26, a display 28, and a user input interface, all of
which are coupled to the controller 20. The user input interface, which
allows the mobile terminal 10 to receive data, may include any of a
number of devices allowing the mobile terminal 10 to receive data, such
as a keypad 30, a touch display (display 28 providing an example of such
a touch display) or other input device. In embodiments including the
keypad 30, the keypad 30 may include the conventional numeric (0-9) and
related keys (#, *), and other hard and soft keys used for operating the
mobile terminal 10. Alternatively or additionally, the keypad 30 may
include a conventional QWERTY keypad arrangement. The keypad 30 may also
include various soft keys with associated functions. In addition, or
alternatively, the mobile terminal 10 may include an interface device
such as a joystick or other user input interface. Some embodiments
employing a touch display may omit the keypad 30 and any or all of the
speaker 24, ringer 22, and microphone 26 entirely. The mobile terminal 10
further includes a battery 34, such as a vibrating battery pack, for
powering various circuits that are required to operate the mobile
terminal 10, as well as optionally providing mechanical vibration as a
detectable output.

[0027] The mobile terminal 10 may further include a user identity module
(UIM) 38. The UIM 38 is typically a memory device having a processor
built in. The UIM 38 may include, for example, a subscriber identity
module (SIM), a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), a universal
subscriber identity module (USIM), a removable user identity module
(R-UIM), etc. The UIM 38 typically stores information elements related to
a mobile subscriber. In addition to the UIM 38, the mobile terminal 10
may be equipped with memory. For example, the mobile terminal 10 may
include volatile memory 40, such as volatile Random Access Memory (RAM)
including a cache area for the temporary storage of data. The mobile
terminal 10 may also include other non-volatile memory 42, which may be
embedded and/or may be removable. The memories may store any of a number
of pieces of information, and data, used by the mobile terminal 10 to
implement the functions of the mobile terminal 10.

[0028] An example embodiment of the invention will now be described with
reference to FIG. 2, in which certain elements of an apparatus 50 for
providing selection of a portion of text for touch screen devices are
displayed. The apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 may be employed, for example, in
conjunction with the mobile terminal 10 of FIG. 1. However, it should be
noted that the apparatus 50 of FIG. 2, may also be employed in connection
with a variety of other devices, both mobile and fixed, and therefore,
embodiments of the present invention should not be limited to application
on devices such as the mobile terminal 10 of FIG. 1. It should also be
noted that while FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a configuration of an
apparatus for providing selection of a portion of text for touch screen
devices, numerous other configurations may also be used to implement
embodiments of the present invention. As such, in some embodiments,
although devices or elements are shown as being in communication with
each other, hereinafter such devices or elements should be considered to
be capable of being embodied within a same device or element and thus,
devices or elements shown in communication should be understood to
alternatively be portions of the same device or element.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 2, the apparatus 50 for providing selection
of a portion of text for touch screen devices is provided and may include
or otherwise be in communication with a processor 70, a user interface
72, a communication interface 74 and a memory device 76. In some
embodiments, the processor 70 (and/or co-processors or any other
processing circuitry assisting or otherwise associated with the processor
70) may be in communication with the memory device 76 via a bus for
passing information among components of the apparatus 50. The memory
device 76 may include, for example, one or more volatile and/or
non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the memory device 76
may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer readable storage
medium) comprising gates configured to store data (e.g., bits) that may
be retrievable by a machine (e.g., a computing device like the processor
70). The memory device 76 may be configured to store information, data,
applications, instructions or the like for enabling the apparatus to
carry out various functions in accordance with an example embodiment of
the present invention. For example, the memory device 76 could be
configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 70.
Additionally or alternatively, the memory device 76 could be configured
to store instructions for execution by the processor 70.

[0030] The apparatus 50 may, in some embodiments, be a mobile terminal
(e.g., mobile terminal 10) or a fixed communication device or computing
device configured to employ an example embodiment of the present
invention. However, in some embodiments, the apparatus 50 may be embodied
as a chip or chip set. In other words, the apparatus 50 may comprise one
or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components
and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural
assembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and/or
limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included
thereon. The apparatus 50 may therefore, in some cases, be configured to
implement an embodiment of the present invention on a single chip or as a
single "system on a chip." As such, in some cases, a chip or chipset may
constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the
functionalities described herein.

[0031] The processor 70 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For
example, the processor 70 may be embodied as one or more of various
hardware processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a
controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element with
or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing circuitry
including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application
specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a
microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose
computer chip, or other like hardware devices. As such, in some
embodiments, the processor 70 may include one or more processing cores
configured to perform independently. A multi-core processor may enable
multiprocessing within a single physical package. Additionally or
alternatively, the processor 70 may include one or more processors
configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of
instructions, pipelining and/or multithreading.

[0032] In an example embodiment, the processor 70 may be configured to
execute instructions stored in the memory device 76 or otherwise
accessible to the processor 70. Alternatively or additionally, the
processor 70 may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As
such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a
combination thereof, the processor 70 may represent an entity (e.g.,
physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations
according to an embodiment of the present invention while configured
accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 70 is embodied as an
ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 70 may be specifically configured
hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively,
as another example, when the processor 70 is embodied as an executor of
software instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the
processor 70 to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein
when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processor
70 may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., a mobile terminal or
network device) adapted for employing an embodiment of the present
invention by further configuration of the processor 70 by instructions
for performing the algorithms and/or operations described herein. The
processor 70 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic
logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the
processor 70.

[0033] Meanwhile, the communication interface 74 may be any means such as
a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of
hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data
from/to a network and/or any other device or module in communication with
the apparatus 50. In this regard, the communication interface 74 may
include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting
hardware and/or software for enabling communications with a wireless
communication network. In some environments, the communication interface
74 may alternatively or also support wired communication. As such, for
example, the communication interface 74 may include a communication modem
and/or other hardware/software for supporting communication via cable,
digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB) or other
mechanisms.

[0034] The user interface 72 may be in communication with the processor 70
to receive an indication of a user input at the user interface 72 and/or
to provide an audible, visual, mechanical or other output to the user. As
such, the user interface 72 may include, for example, a keyboard, a
mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen, soft keys, a microphone, a
speaker, or other input/output mechanisms. In this regard, for example,
the processor 70 may comprise user interface circuitry configured to
control at least some functions of one or more elements of the user
interface, such as, for example, a speaker, ringer, microphone, display,
and/or the like. The processor 70 and/or user interface circuitry
comprising the processor 70 may be configured to control one or more
functions of one or more elements of the user interface through computer
program instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory
accessible to the processor 70 (e.g., memory device 76, and/or the like).

[0035] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 50 may include or otherwise
be in communication with a touch screen display 68 (e.g., the display
28). The touch screen display 68 may be embodied as any known touch
screen display. Thus, for example, the touch screen display 68 could be
configured to enable touch recognition by any suitable technique, such as
resistive, capacitive, infrared, strain gauge, surface wave, optical
imaging, dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition, etc.
techniques. The user interface 72 may be in communication with the touch
screen display 68 to receive indications of user inputs at the touch
screen display 68 and to modify a response to such indications based on
corresponding user actions that may be inferred or otherwise determined
responsive to the indications.

[0036] In an example embodiment, the apparatus 50 may include a touch
screen interface 80. The touch screen interface 80 may, in some
instances, be a portion of the user interface 72. However, in some
alternative embodiments, the touch screen interface 80 may be embodied as
the processor 70 or may be a separate entity controlled by the processor
70. As such, in some embodiments, the processor 70 may be said to cause,
direct or control the execution or occurrence of the various functions
attributed to the touch screen interface 80 (and any components of the
touch screen interface 80) as described herein. The touch screen
interface 80 may be any means such as a device or circuitry operating in
accordance with software or otherwise embodied in hardware or a
combination of hardware and software (e.g., processor 70 operating under
software control, the processor 70 embodied as an ASIC or FPGA
specifically configured to perform the operations described herein, or a
combination thereof) thereby configuring the device or circuitry to
perform the corresponding functions of the touch screen interface 80 as
described herein. Thus, in examples in which software is employed, a
device or circuitry (e.g., the processor 70 in one example) executing the
software forms the structure associated with such means.

[0037] The touch screen interface 80 may be configured to receive an
indication of an input in the form of a touch event at the touch screen
display 68. As such, the touch screen interface 80 may be in
communication with the touch screen display 68 to receive indications of
user inputs at the touch screen display 68 and to modify a response to
such indications based on corresponding user actions that may be inferred
or otherwise determined responsive to the indications. Following
recognition of a touch event, the touch screen interface 80 may be
configured to determine a classification of the touch event and provide a
corresponding function based on the touch event in some situations.

[0038] In some embodiments, the touch screen interface 80 may include a
detector 82, a display manager 84 and a word selection manager 86. Each
of the detector 82, the display manager 84 and the word selection manager
86 may be any device or means embodied in either hardware or a
combination of hardware and software configured to perform the
corresponding functions associated with the detector 82, the display
manager 84 and the word selection manager 86, respectively, as described
herein. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the detector 82, the display
manager 84 and the word selection manager 86 may be controlled by or
otherwise embodied as the processor 70.

[0039] The detector 82 may be in communication with the touch screen
display 68 to receive indications of user inputs in order to recognize
and/or determine a touch event based on each input received at the
detector 82. A touch event may be defined as a detection of an object,
such as a stylus, finger, pen, pencil or any other pointing device,
coming into contact with a portion of the touch screen display in a
manner sufficient to register as a touch. In this regard, for example, a
touch event could be a detection of pressure on the screen of the touch
screen display 68 above a particular pressure threshold over a given area
or the detection of a change in the electrostatic field of the touch
screen display 68 at a particular location. As such, some touch events
may not actually require physical contact with the touch screen display
68. Subsequent to each touch event, the detector 82 may be further
configured to recognize and/or determine a corresponding classification
of the event. In other words, the detector 82 may be configured to
classify the touch event as any of a number of possible gestures. Some
examples of recognizable gestures may include a touch, multi-touch,
stroke, character, pinch event (e.g., a pinch in or pinch out), a tap, a
long press, and/or the like.

[0040] A touch may be defined as a touch event that impacts a single area
(without or with minimal movement on the surface of the touch screen
display 68) and then is removed. A multi-touch may be defined as multiple
touch events sensed at the same time (or nearly the same time). A stroke
event may be defined as a touch event followed immediately by motion of
the object initiating the touch event while the object remains in contact
with the touch screen display 68. In other words, the stroke event may be
defined by motion following a touch event thereby forming a continuous,
moving touch event defining a moving series of instantaneous touch
positions (e.g., as a drag operation or as a flick operation). Multiple
strokes and/or touches may be used to define a particular shape or
sequence of shapes to define a character. A pinch event may be classified
as either a pinch out or a pinch in (hereinafter referred to simply as a
pinch). A pinch may be defined as a multi-touch, where the touch events
causing the multi-touch are spaced apart, followed by movement of the
objects initiating the multi-touch substantially toward each other.
Meanwhile, a pinch out may be defined as a multi-touch, where the touch
events causing the multi-touch are relatively close together, followed by
movement of the objects initiating the multi-touch substantially away
from each other. A tap and a long press may each be specific classes of
touch event that are distinguishable based on the time the touch event
lasts. For example, a tap may be a brief touch (e.g., a touch followed
very soon thereafter by removal of the object from contact with the touch
screen display 68). Meanwhile, a long press may be characterized by a
touch or press on the screen that is held for at least a threshold amount
of time to enable recognition of the touch event as a long press. The
long press may sometimes be referred to as a "press-and-hold" event. In
some cases, the detector 82 may be further enabled to determine
characteristics regarding the touch events (e.g., length of time of a
touch event, length of movement, direction of movement and/or speed of
movement of the object). As such, the detector 82 may classify the touch
events relative to various thresholds or ranges of lengths (in terms of
time and distance), directions and/or speeds of movement.

[0041] In an example embodiment, the detector 82 may be configured to
communicate detection information regarding the recognition, detection
and/or classification of a touch event to the display manager 84 and/or
the word selection manager 86. The display manager 84 may be configured
to provide control over modifications made to that which is displayed on
the touch screen display 68 based on input from the word selection
manager 86 responsive to the detection information received from the
detector 82. As such, the word selection manager 86 may be configured to
receive detection information from the detector 82 and initiate
functionality based on the detection information. In an example
embodiment, the word selection manager 86 may be configured to provide
for selection of a primary word and designation of one or more secondary
words responsive to detection of a long press in association with the
primary word. Both the primary word and the secondary words may be
highlighted in some fashion to indicate their selection and/or
designation as primary and secondary words, respectively. After selection
of the primary word with a long press, and the corresponding designation
of secondary words based on the selection of the primary word, the word
selection manager 86 may also enable selection of one of the secondary
words in response to detection of a tap at the location of the selected
one of the secondary words. The primary word may initially be "selected"
while the secondary words are "pre-selected". However, the secondary
words may also be selected by tapping thereon as described below. In some
cases, when one secondary word is selected by tapping thereon, the
adjacent word thereto (that was not previously selected or pre-selected)
may become pre-selected. Thus, the expansion of selected text may be
affected by continued tapping on pre-selected words.

[0042] FIGS. 3-5 illustrate examples of text selection according to some
example embodiments with different highlighting options presented. In
each of FIGS. 3-5, a sample text is displayed with a plurality of words.
In the context of example embodiments, a word may be considered to be any
collection of characters located in a text sample that have a particular
meaning associated therewith. Thus, a word could be any collection of
letters, characters and/or symbols that are positioned proximate to each
other and associated with one another to convey a particular meaning or
provide a representation. Thus, not only could a word be set of letters
that define an entry that could be located in a common dictionary, but a
word could also be an acronym, a number, a collection of letters and
numbers or any other combination of characters that are placed together
to provide a specific meaning or represent something. Words are typically
collections of letters, symbols and/or characters that are separated from
each other by spaces and/or punctuation marks. As such, it should be
appreciated that punctuation marks or typically not parts of words,
except perhaps when the punctuation mark is a part of the word (e.g.,
such as an apostrophe used in a possessive word like "tuna's").

[0043] In FIG. 3, text may be displayed as a portion of a document, web
page, or any other text bearing application. In an example embodiment, a
long press may be detected (e.g., by the detector 82) in association with
the word "stern". The detector 82 may then communicate the detection to
the word selection manager 86. The word selection manager 86 may then
instruct the display manager 84 to highlight the word "stern" as a
primary word 100 and provide a corresponding selected word indication 110
in association with the primary word 100. The selected word indication
110 may be an indication of a selected word or words. In other words, the
selected word indication 110 may be a mechanism by which selected words
or highlighted or otherwise indicated as being selected. After the
selected word indication 110 is presented, the word selection manager 86
may also instruct the display manager 84 to highlight the words adjacent
to the primary word 100 as secondary words 102 and 104 and provide a
corresponding "pre-selected" word indication 112 in association with the
secondary words 102 and 104. The pre-selected word indication 112 may be
an indication of "pre-selected" words and thereby provide a mechanism by
which to highlight or indicate words that are designated as secondary
words that may be selected (e.g., by tapping thereon) to include the
selected words within the selected word indication 110. In the example of
FIG. 3, the word "the" is secondary word 102 and the word "in" is
secondary word 104. The highlighting may be performed in any suitable
manner. For example, the primary word 100 may be highlighted with a
different color than the secondary words 102 and 104. Alternatively, the
font of primary word 100 may be altered to make it different than that of
the secondary words 102 and 104, while the font of the secondary words
102 and 104 may also be altered with respect to that which is provided
for remaining portions of the text. As yet another alternative, the
primary word 100 and the secondary words 102 and 104 may simply be
highlighted by being placed within a geometric shape such as a circle or
a rectangle. In the example of FIG. 3, the selected word indication 110
is provided as a rectangle with a solid border that includes all selected
words (in this case, just the primary word 100). Meanwhile, the
pre-selected word indication 112 is provided as separate rectangles
having dashed borders that include the designated words for pre-selection
(e.g., the secondary words 102 and 104. The highlighting may appear, for
example, after release of the long press. However, in some examples, the
highlighting may appear even before release of the long press after a
predetermined hold time period has been reached.

[0044] In some embodiments, options for additional actions to be taken
with respect to selected words (e.g., the primary word 100) may be
provided after release of the long press or after completion of extending
the selected word indication 110 as described herein. However, it is not
necessary that such options be presented automatically. In some other
examples, the user may separately select options to be presented or
select from presented options with a tap or other touch event.

[0045] In an example embodiment, only the primary word 100 may initially
be within the selected word indication 110. However, the inclusiveness of
the selected word indication 110 (e.g., the words within the selected
word indication 110) may be expanded by tapping on either one of the
pre-selected words (e.g., the secondary words 102 or 104). In this
regard, for example, by tapping on the word "in" (e.g., secondary word
104), the selected word indication 110 may expand to include the word
"in" as shown in FIG. 4. In some cases, the word adjacent to "in", which
is now a selected word in addition to the primary word 100 and within the
selected word indication 110, may become a new secondary word 106. As
such, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the word "the" may become the new
secondary word 106. The inclusiveness of the amount of text within the
selected word indication 110 may therefore be expanded through tapping on
secondary words. Each selection that expands the inclusiveness of the
selected word indication 110 may also cause the word selection manager 86
to designate a new word as a pre-selected secondary word as the next
adjacent word that was not pre-selected or selected. Thus, the secondary
words may provide an easy mechanism (e.g., tapping thereon) by which to
add words to a group of selected words that are indicated as being
selected by the selected word indication 110. Each expansion of the words
included in the selected word indication 110 may spread the positioning
of the secondary words to the corresponding next adjacent words to the
expanded group of selected words. The group of selected words may
therefore be grown in either direction in a controlled, but simple
manner.

[0046] Although the example above refers to expanding the selected word
indication 110 via tapping on secondary words, it should be noted that
some embodiments may not require a tap directly on the secondary words to
affect the expansion. For example, in some cases, a tap near the
secondary word may be sufficient to expand the selected word indication.
This may account for difficulties in accurately tapping directly on a
secondary word in certain small screen or small font environments. In
some cases, a threshold distance may be defined relative to borders of
the highlighting provided to the secondary words so that any tap within
the threshold distance may be interpreted as a tap on the corresponding
secondary word. The threshold distance may be a predetermined value or
may be variable based on font size, screen size or user preference.

[0047] In some embodiments, the selected word indication 110 and/or the
pre-selected word indication 112 may simply be provided as an overlay or
additional feature shown relative to the existing text. However, in some
embodiments, words that have been selected and/or pre-selected may be
shown in a blown up, zoomed in, or expanded window 120 as shown in FIG.
5. After selection, any of various functions such as edit options or
other functionalities may be performed with respect to the selected
words.

[0048]FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method and program product according to
an example embodiment of the invention. It will be understood that each
block of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart, may
be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, processor,
circuitry and/or other device associated with execution of software
including one or more computer program instructions. For example, one or
more of the procedures described above may be embodied by computer
program instructions. In this regard, the computer program instructions
which embody the procedures described above may be stored by a memory
device of a user terminal and executed by a processor in the user
terminal. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions
may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (e.g.,
hardware) to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute
on the computer or other programmable apparatus create means for
implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s). These
computer program instructions may also be stored in a non-transitory
computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable
apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions
stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture
which implements the functions specified in the flowchart block(s). The
computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other
programmable apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on
the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a
computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on
the computer or other programmable apparatus implement the functions
specified in the flowchart block(s).

[0049] Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart support combinations of means
for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for
performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one
or more blocks of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the
flowchart, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer
systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special
purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0050] In this regard, a method according to one embodiment of the
invention, as shown in FIG. 6, may include receiving an indication of a
touch gesture (e.g., a long press event, a stroke gesture, a tap, a
double tap and/or the like) in association with a primary word among text
being displayed at a touch screen display at operation 200, causing
provision of a selected word indication (e.g., via a processor) to
indicate inclusion of the primary word as a selected word at operation
210, causing provision of a pre-selected word indication in relation to
at least one secondary word adjacent to the primary word at operation
220, and enabling expansion of the selected word indication to include
the at least one secondary word in response to a touch event selecting
the at least one secondary word at operation 230.

[0051] In some embodiments, certain ones of the operations above may be
modified or further amplified as described below. Moreover, in some
embodiments additional optional operations may also be included (some
examples of which are shown in dashed lines in FIG. 6). It should be
appreciated that each of the modifications, optional additions or
amplifications below may be included with the operations above either
alone or in combination with any others among the features described
herein. In this regard, for example, the method may further include
causing provision of the pre-selected word indication with respect to a
next adjacent word to a selected secondary word that is included in the
selected word indication at operation 240. Alternatively or additionally,
the method may include enabling performance of a selected function with
respect to words included in the selected word indication at operation
250. Additionally or alternatively, the method may include providing an
expanded view of words in the selected word indication at operation 260.
In an example embodiment, causing provision of the pre-selected word
indication may include causing provision of the pre-selected word
indication with respect to a word immediately before the selected word
indication and a word immediately after the selected word indication. In
some embodiments, the touch event responsive to which the expansion of
the selected word indication is provided may include a tap on a secondary
word. In some example cases, causing provision of the selected word
indication may include highlighting selected words, and wherein causing
provision of the pre-selected word indication comprises differently
highlighting secondary words positioned adjacent to the selected words.

[0052] In an example embodiment, an apparatus for performing the method of
FIG. 6 above may comprise a processor (e.g., the processor 70) configured
to perform some or each of the operations (200-260) described above. The
processor may, for example, be configured to perform the operations
(200-260) by performing hardware implemented logical functions, executing
stored instructions, or executing algorithms for performing each of the
operations. Alternatively, the apparatus may comprise means for
performing each of the operations described above. In this regard,
according to an example embodiment, examples of means for performing
operations 200-260 may comprise, for example, the touch screen interface
80 (or respective different components thereof). Additionally or
alternatively, at least by virtue of the fact that the processor 70 may
be configured to control or even be embodied as the touch screen
interface 80, the processor 70 and/or a device or circuitry for executing
instructions or executing an algorithm for processing information as
described above may also form example means for performing operations
200-260.

[0053] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set
forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these
inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the
foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to
be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific
embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are
intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings
describe some example embodiments in the context of certain example
combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that
different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by
alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended
claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements
and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also
contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although
specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and
descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.